Prince

Today’s post is on my favorite singer.  Prince.  One name, one unique genius and someone who influenced (and still does) my life in such a profound way.  I have so much love, admiration, respect, and fascination for someone I never met, but I feel I knew him very well, through his music.  His songs seem to be written directly for me (well some of them).

In 1978 I belonged to a record club called Columbia Records.  The membership included I believe 10 records (then tapes) for a penny then you had to buy 3 more in 2 years or something like that.  As I browsed the catalog of free choices, I stumbled across The Police (Reggatta de Blanc), Kiss (Alive 2), Queen (The Game), and Prince (Prince) among others.  I placed my order waited and eventually received my records.  None disappointed, but one blew me away.  Yeah, Prince.  I remember vividly listening to the first track ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’, followed by ‘Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?’, and then later down the list ‘Bambi’.  I was mesmerized by the sound coming out of my speakers.  It was funky, jazzy, and yea his guitar work was unbelievable.  That was the moment I started a love affair with Prince.

From 1979 to the present day I have amassed 2500 songs via CDs, and downloads.  I have original releases, bootlegs, live tracks, and soundtracks.  Prince died in 2016, but his estate continues to re-release music and his mysterious ‘vault’ has thousands of recordings in it supposedly.  I hope they continue to be released.

My favorite lyrics by Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell were not easy to narrow down, but trying to capture my favorite Prince lyrics is almost impossible.  Depending on my mood or state of mind, different songs/lyrics can impact me more than others of his.  I have written before how Prince helped me survive high school.  When I could not turn to family, or friends Prince spoke to me through his music.  Here I was a middle-class white kid in high school so strongly bonding with a short (5’2″) black guy from Minnesota.  Here was a ‘cat’ that could play 27 instruments, and might I add very well.  His first recording ‘For You’ he wrote all the music, lyrics, played all the instruments, arranged all of the records, and produced it.  On April 21, 2016, the world lost a great musician and I lost a friend.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get you through this thing called life.” – Let’s Go Crazy.

One of his most famous songs starts with the introduction line.  This song is based on a religious belief of the afterlife and my interpretation of his message of doing the best each of us can with our situation, why we are here on earth.  I have recently talked to two friends who are struggling right now in life.  This message I hope both of them will read is “are we gonna let the elevator bring us down?”  I hope no.  As Prince said “If you don’t like, the world you living in.  Take a look around you, at least you have friends.”  I hope I am that to most of the people I meet.

“Now where I come from, we don’t let society, tell us how it’s supposed to be.” – Uptown

Even in the late 1970′, s/early 80’s Prince took a political stance as an activist.  He stood strongly by his beliefs and taught me about conviction.  Anyone who knows me, knows I have strong morals and beliefs, and this lyric opened my eyes in 1980 to be who I am regardless.  Whether it was choosing not to drink alcohol, not to take drugs, or even follow the crowd because it was safer.  Like Prince, I “don’t let society tell (me) how it’s supposed to be.”

“Wish I had a dollar, for every time you say. Don’t you miss the feeling, music gave you, back in the day.“ – Musicology

Music is so ingrained into my DNA.  A song or lyric can take me back to a place, time, or situation in an instance.  I even joke I think in music.  If I heard a word I begin singing a song in my head with that word in a lyric from a song.  I do miss the feeling music gave me back in the day, especially as a teenager and into my early twenties.  I guess that is why I gravitate to the more timeless music of my past, and less so to what is considered music today.  Heck with autotune I could be a pop star today.

“Some say a man ain’t happy until a man truly dies.” – Sign o’ the Times

The older I get the more and more I have a ‘restless’ mind.  I often wonder if the internal rest that will eventually be in my future upon death will finally allow me to be “happy” or at least allow me to finally rest my mind.

“I feel like I’m looking for my soul.  Like a poor man looking for gold.” – Thieves in the Temple

For years especially during college and a few years after I graduated I felt lost in this world.  I was soul searching.  I did what ‘I was supposed to do” by going to college, and graduated, but then the reality of ‘now what’ set in.  Again songs like this (When Prince was on top of the world musically) gave me some peace, knowing that even he, had struggles.  His lyrics permitted me to be scared.

“Paint a perfect picture. Bring to life a vision in one’s mind. The beautiful ones. Always smash the picture. Always every time.”  – The Beautiful Ones

I have dealt with this most of my life.  This is one of my favorite songs by Prince.  In 1984 when this song was released on his most famous ‘Purple Rain’ soundtrack, this song hit my soul.  I was living under the weight of expectations put forth by my Mom, friends, and society to” be good and do well”.  But every time I did there was always someone of something to tear me down.  That seems to be the norm today.  People tear down others to raise themselves.  Especially as a photographer, I occasionally get feedback on how “I messed up the shot or how it could be done better.”  Luckily over time, I have developed a thick skin and honestly laugh at ‘The Beautiful Ones’ in society these days.  I can live with myself, can they?

“This is not a religion, but common sense. It’s time for you to get down, get down. Get off the fence. No son shall die, no mother shall cry. All in favor, say aye. Because time’s so hard to deal with. Deliverance is at hand.” –  Deliverance

An unreleased track from 2006 or 2007 eventually found its way to the bootleg market where I came upon it.  Though this is another political statement by Prince, to me it brings peace.  Another song about people tearing down others but looking for that eternal salvation of living without hate, war with the selflessness of helping out others only for pure joy and nothing else.

“I wish there was no black and white, I wish there were no rules …. I said life is just a game, we’re all just the same.” –  Controversy

In 1981, when I bought Prince’s second cassette, I was quickly made aware of discrimination.  It was something I didn’t have but was sheltered from by my family.  Ironically in 2020 this lyric and song cannot be timelier.  Like Prince, I wish people didn’t see black and white (other than photography), and I also wish there were no rules when it comes to race (written or unwritten).  And yes Prince “we are all just the same.”

“There’s an ocean, of despair. There are people livin’ there. They’re unhappy, each and every day. Hell is not fashion, so whatcha tryin’ to say?” –  Gold

This is one of my favorite songs by Prince as well.  The chorus is a saying I use so often “All that glitters ain’t gold.”  I have used this with a friend in many conversations in the past.  I see people that strive for those job titles, status, trophy car, trophy best of whatever, but ultimately I never see true happiness.  They are searching for the ‘gold’ and though it may glitter for a moment it eventually fades and must be replaced my yet the next shiny thing.  The lyric above is a place I have been but also see in many people (friends and family).  It took me a long time, but ‘gold’ shiny things no longer make me happy.  I am trying to achieve inner peace, and that does not come from a job title, fancy things, but from a wonderful son, wife, and very good friends.  All the rest is fool’s gold!

“All good things they say, never last. And love, it isn’t love until it’s past.” –  Sometimes It Snows in April

This is one of Prince’s saddest songs.  It has taken me a long time to listen to it again after his death.  With the recent death of my Mom and the fairly recent passing of my Dad and cousin Tom and then Prince, I am learning to deal (and yes grieve) those losses.  We have all heard to stop and tell those we love them because we never know if they will be there tomorrow.  For those I call my friends you may be getting some I love you’s soon.  Things do not last, especially our lives.

“In my bed, in my head. Every word U’ve spoken. Now how am I gonna fill this empty room?” –  Empty Room

After Tom, Dad, and Mom died I spent many nights in the often scary and lonely place between my ears.  I would relive conversations both good and bad that I had with each person.  Those bad ones are the conversations that haunt me.  There are always ‘what if’s’.  If I had said this or that, or done this or that would things have been different, and even worse may they have lived longer and happier?  Each person in my life (living or dead) has a “room” in my head.  When someone leaves my life through death or just drifting apart on I have to find ways to fill those “empty rooms.”  This has always been a struggle for me, but I am learning to process.

“You can try and try but there’s nothing to hide. You can’t run from yourself and what’s inside. You got to find the answers to the questions that you most fear.  You surrounded yourself with all the wrong faces. Spending your time in all the wrong places. Putting your faith in things that only make you cry. People say they love you when they want to help. But how can they when you can’t help yourself? The more they say they love you, the more you just want to die. So here we go again, the self-analysis.” –  Holy River

How appropriate these lyrics are to how I am and feel.  I have done all he mentions.  Surrounded me with fools, putting faith in the aforementioned “stuff”.  Through it, I learned to compartmentalize my feelings and emotions.  It has taken the time and much self-analysis and with the help of Dr. Erin, I am learning to help myself.  People have helped me go down the path of therapy, becoming a better man, learning to let others in, and not being scared to show emotions and vulnerabilities.  My Holy River is in the form of two people.  Marcie and Dr. Erin.  I will float down the river during the rapids and calm waters until I washed clean of anxiety, and fear.

“Wicked is the witch that stands for nothing. All the while watching to see you fall. Deeper than the ditch that bred your suffering. The one being dug right now by them all. Happy is the way to meet your burdens. No matter how heavy or dark the day. Pity on those with no hope for tomorrow. It’s never as bad as it seems until we say.”  – The Love We Make

My counselor Prince not only helped me to see the true intentions of people (I am better than most people think at spotting phony people) but also helped me focus on what I truly do every day.  I worry and stress over things that are “never as bad as they seem”.  I have this wonderful ability to turn the possible worse situation out of everything.  My mindset is changing.  I now focus on what I have and am grateful for.  I look for those “witch(es) that stand for nothing…watching to see (me) fall”.  My mental state once very fragile is building that thick skin, which is leading to a sense of peace and happiness that I have not felt in a long time.  ‘The Love We Make’ is loving me for me, and not what others want or expect of me.

Prince was my counselor and still is long after his passing.  I could write a book on all he has taught me, inspired me, and counseled me over the years.  There is so much he did for me and the world that so many don’t know.  Yes, there are his hits like Purple Rain, 1999, Little Red Corvette, When Doves Cry, Let’s Go Crazy, and many others, but digging into those hidden gems is what helps me navigate the world and those deep dark places in my brain.

I tried to list the lyrics that meant the most to me (there are so many more), and though these are some of my favorite songs, my most favorites of Prince come from his way of speaking to me via his guitar.  I will argue with anyone that he is (not might be but IS) the BEST guitar player ever.  I love Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, and many others but Prince could do things with his guitar that none of them could touch.  Heck, Eric Clapton once was interviewed and asked how it felt to be the best guitar player in the world his response was simple “I don’t know go ask Prince.”

A future post may incorporate my picks for his best guitar solos, but for now, I will leave you with lyrics.  Please take the time to look past those hits and dig deep into his catalog.  I’d be happy to discuss this with you if you ever want to chat.  R.I.P Prince.

Until next time,

Tim